COLUMBUS, Ohio — There might even be some folks here who believe a young Adam Foote was a Gator Bowl ballboy on the Ohio State sideline in 1978, yelling in Woody Hayes’ ear, as Clemson’s Charlie Bauman approached: “Come on, punch the guy!”

This much is certain: The perception remains that Foote, now the Avalanche captain, engineered his trade and return from Columbus to Colorado at the trading deadline in February 2008. Leaks from within the Blue Jackets’ organization portrayed him as petulant and threatening to dog it if he remained with Columbus.

Tonight Foote will play his first game back in Columbus since the trade. He was injured and missed both Colorado games at Nationwide Arena last season. Fans displayed anti-Foote signs even then. This time, with Foote on the ice, the enmity quotient likely will be raised.

“I can’t control that,” Foote said. “It happens in sports, with the player movement. It seems like it happened so long ago now.”

At that point, Foote summoned a phrase that might seem ironic, given its repeated use by Todd Bertuzzi in the wake of all the booing he heard in Colorado.

“It is what it is,” Foote said.

In conversations in Pittsburgh on Thursday and then on Friday, with several local writers among those interviewing him, Foote again declined to address some — or any — of the accusations thrown at him in the wake of his departure.

When he was challenged on that point, since he has not done it publicly, he said: “They’ve moved on, I’ve moved on, and so much has happened since. I understand and respect your question for sure, but I feel like I’ve been there.”

Foote has taken that stance since the trade, saying he has addressed the issues, most importantly with some of his former Blue Jackets teammates. But his refusal to publicly shoot down some of the things said about him has added to the fire.

“I can’t control it,” he said. “I had a great time there. They treated me good.”

As for the fans’ reception tonight, “I’m ready for whatever,” he said.

Here’s how Foote answered the question about whether he wanted to dispel some of the things said about him in the anonymous leaks after his departure: “I’ve been down there, I’ve addressed it, and I think if you look at both sides, both sides clearly have moved on.”

Foote was the Blue Jackets’ captain, and he assumed the role with the Avalanche following Joe Sakic’s retirement.

“I think he’s done a real good job for us this year,” Colorado coach Joe Sacco said. “With such a young group, to have that leadership that he’s brought into that room — him along with a couple of other experienced players — certainly has benefited our team. He’s a guy that when something needs to be said, he’ll say it.”

Colorado at Columbus

5 p.m. tonight, ALT2, KCKK 1510 AM

Spotlight on Ken Hitchcock: Avalanche coach Joe Sacco, who played for the Blue Jackets’ coach at Philadelphia, has said many times he has borrowed from all the coaches he played for. What did he get from Hitchcock? “The structure that he brings to his team,” Sacco said. “You know your role. You know your assignment on the ice. And he’s demanding.”

Avalanche: Goalie Craig Anderson didn’t participate in the optional practice Friday and isn’t likely to be available tonight, Colorado coach Joe Sacco said Friday. “His neck was still stiff,” Sacco said. He indicated Peter Budaj was likely to get his fourth start of the season, with Tyler Weiman, recalled from Lake Erie Wednesday, as the backup. . . . This is the fourth game on a trip that concludes in St. Louis on Monday. Colorado is 1-1-1 so far on the swing.

Blue Jackets: Columbus is coming off a 6-3 home loss to Toronto on Thursday. . . . Goalie Steve Mason, expected to start tonight, has had a sophomore slump after winning the Calder Trophy last season. His save percentage is only .888. . . . After a strong start, Rick Nash has cooled off, with only one goal the last eight games. Terry Frei, The Denver Post

A graduate of Wheat Ridge High School and the University of Colorado, Terry Frei has been named a state's sportswriter of the year seven times -- four times in Colorado and three times in Oregon. He's the author of seven books, including the novel "Olympic Affair" about Colorado's Glenn Morris, the 1936 Olympic decathlon champion; and "Third Down and a War to Go," about the 1942 football national champion Wisconsin Badgers and the players' subsequent World War II heroism.

Four assistant basketball coaches at Division I schools and a top Adidas executive were among 10 people charged Tuesday with crimes including bribery and fraud as part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into corruption in college basketball.

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